UNESCO body calls for halt to Jingu redevelopment plan over tree loss

A UNESCO advisory body on Thursday called for the withdrawal of a redevelopment plan in Tokyo that would see two historic sports venues demolished and the loss of thousands of trees in one of the city’s greenest neighborhoods.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites has issued a “Heritage Alert,” a non-legally binding request to conserve cultural heritage, for the Jingu Gaien redevelopment project, arguing that the planned felling of around 3,000 trees included in the plan would put Tokyo’s garden city park system at threat.

“Jingu Gaien was created thanks to the donations and volunta...